The protective effects of the tuberculosis vaccine Bacillus Calmette-Guerin (BCG) on unrelated infections are thought to be mediated by long-term metabolic changes and chromatin remodeling through histone modifications in innate immune cells such as monocytes, a process termed trained immunity. Here, we show that BCG induction of trained immunity in monocytes is accompanied by a strong increase in glycolysis and, to a lesser extent, glutamine metabolism, both in an in-vitro model and after vaccination of mice and humans...

Importance: Human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) infection is associated with a high risk of cardiovascular disease and increased arterial inflammation. In HIV, inflammation is also increased within lymph nodes (LNs), tissues known to harbor the virus even among treated and suppressed individuals. Objective: To test the hypothesis that arterial inflammation is linked to HIV disease activity and to inflammation within HIV-infected tissues (LNs). Design, Setting, and Participants: For this case-control study, participants were recruited from the SCOPE (Observational Study of the Consequences of the Protease Inhibitor Era) cohort, a clinic-based cohort of individuals receiving care at San Francisco General Hospital and the San Francisco Veteran's Affairs Medical Center...

CC chemokine receptor 2 (CCR2) is one of 19 members of the chemokine receptor subfamily of human class A G-protein-coupled receptors. CCR2 is expressed on monocytes, immature dendritic cells, and T-cell subpopulations, and mediates their migration towards endogenous CC chemokine ligands such as CCL2 (ref. 1). CCR2 and its ligands are implicated in numerous inflammatory and neurodegenerative diseases including atherosclerosis, multiple sclerosis, asthma, neuropathic pain, and diabetic nephropathy, as well as cancer...

The Yorkie homologues YAP (Yes-associated protein) and TAZ (transcriptional coactivator with PDZ-binding motif, also known as WWTR1), effectors of the Hippo pathway, have been identified as mediators for mechanical stimuli. However, the role of YAP/TAZ in haemodynamics-induced mechanotransduction and pathogenesis of atherosclerosis remains unclear. Here we show that endothelial YAP/TAZ activity is regulated by different patterns of blood flow, and YAP/TAZ inhibition suppresses inflammation and retards atherogenesis...

Microparticles released by activated/apoptotic cells exhibit coagulation activity as they express phosphatidylserine and some of them - tissue factor. We compared procoagulant properties of microparticles from monocytes, granulocytes, platelets and endothelial cells and assessed the impact of tissue factor in observed differences. Microparticles were sedimented (20 000g, 30 min) from the supernatants of activated monocytes, monocytic THP-1 cells, granulocytes, platelets and endothelial cells. Coagulation activity of microparticles was examined using plasma recalcification assay...

Astrocytes, the major glial cell population of the central nervous system (CNS), play important physiological roles related to CNS homeostasis. Growing evidence demonstrates that astrocytes trigger innate immune responses under challenge of a variety of proinflammatory cytokines. Macrophage migration inhibitory factor (MIF), a proinflammatory cytokine mainly secreted from monocytes/macrophages, is involved in inflammation-associated pathophysiology. Here, we displayed that expression of MIF significantly increased following spinal cord injury, in colocalization with microglia and astrocytes...

The possibility that immunological changes might contribute to symptom severity in fibromyalgia (FM) prompted this proof-of-concept study to determine whether differences in monocyte subpopulations might be present in persons with FM compared with healthy controls. Relationships were assessed by comparing specific symptoms in those with FM (n = 20) and patterns of monocyte subpopulations with healthy age-matched and gender-matched controls (n = 20). Within the same time frame, all participants provided a blood sample and completed measures related to pain, fatigue, sleep disturbances, perceived stress, positive and negative affect and depressed mood (and the Fibromyalgia Impact Questionnaire for those with FM)...

RORα is a member of nuclear receptor superfamily of transcription factors which has a vital role in the regulation of various physiological processes. Cholesterol is a known ligand of RORα and is one of the key components that take part in cardiovascular diseases such as atherosclerosis. Therefore, it is possible that RORα might have a role in the development of atherosclerosis. To test this hypothesis, we investigated the presence of novel RORα response elements (ROREs) located in the promoter of CYP19A1, MIF and ABCA1 genes...

BACKGROUND: Although the correlations concerning cellular component analysis between the Sysmex XN-20 body fluid (BF) model and manual microscopy have been investigated by several studies, the extent of agreement between these two methods has not been investigated. METHODS: A total of 90 BF samples were prospectively collected and analyzed using the Sysmex XN-20 BF model and microscopy. The extent of agreement between these two methods was evaluated using the Bland-Altman approach...

The role of the PD-1/PD-L pathway in a murine model of tuberculosis remains controversial regarding viral infections and clinical tuberculosis. We conducted a case-control study to investigate the modulating role and mechanism of the PD-1/PD-L pathway in patients with active tuberculosis. Fifty-nine participants, including 43 active tuberculosis (ATB) patients and 16 healthy controls (HC), were enrolled. Cell surface staining and flow cytometry were used to detect the expressions of PD-1 and its ligands on T cells and monocytes...

Dynamic regulation of leukocyte population size and activation state is crucial for an effective immune response. In malaria, Plasmodium parasites elicit robust host expansion of macrophages and monocytes, but the underlying mechanisms remain unclear. Here we show that myeloid expansion during P. chabaudi infection is dependent upon both CD4+ T cells and the cytokine Macrophage Colony Stimulating Factor (MCSF). Single-cell RNA-Seq analysis on antigen-experienced T cells revealed robust expression of Csf1, the gene encoding MCSF, in a sub-population of CD4+ T cells with distinct transcriptional and surface phenotypes...

OBJECTIVE: Tumor-associated macrophages (TAMs) are known to have adverse effects on the survival of women with endometrial cancer. Because monocytes function as progenitors of macrophages, this study examined the association between monocyte count at the first recurrence/progression of endometrial cancer and survival time after recurrence/progression (SAR). METHODS: This is a retrospective study evaluating 141 consecutive cases of recurrent endometrial cancer after surgical staging (n = 114) and progression after nonsurgical management (n = 27)...

BACKGROUND: Nitric oxide helps maintain vascular function and is generated through the oxidation of arginine. Whether altered arginine metabolism may lead to elevated levels of inflammation in HIV is unclear. METHODS: We performed a cross-sectional analysis of HIV-infected adults on stable ART with HIV-1 RNA < 50 copies/mL and HIV-uninfected controls. We measured biomarkers in the arginine pathway, markers of systemic inflammation, and monocyte activation. T-tests, chi-square tests and propensity score matching analyses were used to compare markers by HIV status, and multiple linear regressions were used to assess associations of arginine metabolites with markers of inflammation...

Oxidation of atherogenic low-density lipoproteins (LDL) plays a key role in the pathogenesis of atherosclerosis. Oxidation stress and inflammation are closely interrelated and they can potentiate one another. In the subendothelial space of the arterial intima, monocytes/macrophages become activated and phagocyte oxidized LDL (oxLDL) via scavenger receptors. It has been demonstrated that oxLDL forms complex with plasma β2-glycoprotein I (β2GPI) and becomes autoantigenic triggering synthesis of specific antiphosholipid antibodies...

The important role of reperfusion therapies in the treatment of acute myocardial infarction is well documented. However, reperfusion therapies can initiate inflammatory response and may damage the myocardium. The purpose of current study was to compare the effects of percutaneous coronary intervention and thrombolytic therapy on inflammatory markers in the setting of ST elevation myocardial infarction (STEMI). Eighty three patients with STEMI were enrolled in this study. 40 patients underwent percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI), and 43 patients received streptokinase (1...

Granulocyte monocyte apheresis (GMA) is a non-pharmacological treatment for inflammatory bowel disease. In our study, we tested a novel GMA adsorber device in terms of clinical efficacy and safety in patients' non-response to pharmacological therapy. Secondary outcomes were the evaluation of adsorber's technical performance, the reduction of inflammatory markers and the improvement of patients' life quality. The prospective study included 18 patients enrolled from 2011 to 2012 with a monitoring of 48 weeks...